Oakland to pay rent for low-income residents at risk of...

1of12Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and executives from the San Francisco Foundation, East Bay Community Law Center, Catholic Charities of the East Bay, Bay Area Community Services and Kaiser Permanente East Bay speak about a new homelessness prevention initiative at a press conference Monday, Oct. 15, 2018 at City Hall.Photo: Gwendolyn Wu /

2of12Former homeless people share how best to help homeless.Photo: Design Pics/Con Tanasiuk/Getty Images/Design Pics RF

3of12Former homeless people share how best to help homeless
"I was homeless a few years ago for a couple months. I was quite lucky in that I was very resourceful and street smart as well as clean and sober. I slept on the beach sometimes and in an underground parking lot other times. I eventually figured out the shelter system and that helped me get better access to food and resources. I remember getting help with free food like day old bread and free fruit/sandwiches etc as well as free clothes and I was grateful for all of it.
"What I remember most though are the people who saw past the mental illness, past the skittish, scared girl and into the human being underneath. The hotel clerk who let me charge my phone and gave me free coffee, no strings attached; the police officer who told me about shelters instead of writing me a ticket; and the shelter worker who chatted with me about some silly show on tv.
"I always remember those people and when I now work with homeless and disadvantaged people I always look for their humanity even when it is hard to find."
— PyidPhoto: Design Pics/Con Tanasiuk/Getty Images/Design Pics RF

4of12
"I think the best help happens through organizations. It's hard to get out of homelessness because each piece a person is missing (a place to live, an income, etc.) makes obtaining all the rest more difficult.
"Individual contributions can be helpful, but none of them are the solution. People don't panhandle for change to put a down payment on an apartment. Offering food or socks is appreciated, and certainly a good thing to do. But if you want to help people get out of the situation, only charities or public programs are equipped to provide the holistic support people need."
— trebuchetfight
(Pictured: A homeless client at the shelter at Pier 80.)Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

5of12"I was not homeless for very long, and I had some money, but was not going to blow it on a hotel when I had a perfectly good car and could hide it for the night down rural streets in my hometown.
"I went to Walmart and needed to buy a hat, gloves and thicker socks, as well as some food. My friend's mom saw me there, and somehow she got me to talk about what was going on in my situation. She listened and asked a few questions. Very sweet and kind lady. She told me a story about how she went through something similar. She then INSISTED on purchasing my cart for me. It wasn't much, but I will never forget it."
— StarkohrenPhoto: asiseeit/Getty Images

6of12"When I was homeless, it would have been nice if it was made clear the options that were available in regards to finding housing etc. It would have been good to be able to use somewhere as an address for registering for benefits and things like that as I had such a hard time getting my money every fortnight, I was lucky in that I had someone whose address I could use but that could have ended at any time."
—ramona1987Photo: Erin Castillo, Getty Images

7of12"It's community things that help best, I find. I got put on a program for homeless teens where someone came and checked on me every week and took me to a community house thing. We'd do things like learn simple practical or social skills like learning how to cook and fix things or learning how to tie a tie. They'd talk to us and build up friendly relationships. They never tried preaching to us or anything, we were never forced to join in, we could spend the day just being there and watching everything if we wanted. But they treated us like people so everyone always did something.
"I didn't really realize it at the time, but looking back that extreme amount of kindness helped a lot. People who didn't know me went out of their way to help me and make sure I was alright just out of the kindness of their heart."
— BlueCarmine Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

8of12"I was 18, finally leaving abusive parents. I could only get part time work, and it just wasn't enough to have a roof over my head and food at the same time. A thing that really helped me was this wonderful woman who came up to me while I was panhandling in the rain - she gave me a backpack, and a heavy wool coat. The backpack was full of socks, gloves, hand-warmers, a beanie, toiletries, and a letter from her saying everything would be OK.
"In one fell swoop, she gave me warmth, and dignity."
— Capt_GingerbeardPhoto: Yagi Studio/Getty Images

9of12"There needs to be more opportunities for homeless or otherwise desperate people to do community oriented work. Where I live there used to be a program that had street people volunteering to pick up trash and hang holiday decorations and such. It was only for an hour or two at a time and in exchange they got access to laundry and showers and such, in addition to a daily meal available for all.
"People don't realize that the toughest part of being homeless isn't going without food. Of all the struggles, food is the easiest. Other things, like bathing, sleeping, s------g, are a little tougher, but you learn to take care of your needs fairly quickly. It's the time that gets you. You're outside, somewhat uncomfortable, maybe asking for handouts, being told to move along, get a job, etc, for hours and hours. Feeling totally useless messes with your head. The idea of getting wasted is very appealing. You start to resent "housies." Other homeless people are the only ones you relate to. It becomes a trap. If you don't have a safety net out there you eventually lose any desire to rejoin society.
"So just about any low pressure activity would be really helpful for homeless people to snap out of their rut and build some kind of connection to the community."
— moreLSDplease Photo: Hill Street Studios/Eric Raptosh/Getty Images/Blend Images RM

10of12"My boyfriend was homeless for a period of his life because of an abusive parent. He was lucky enough to have friends and family that helped to pull him out of his situation, but it obviously had a huge impact on how he lives his life.
"He always carries a few pre-made packs with toothpaste and a toothbrush, deodorant, disposable razors and shaving cream, socks, hand/feet warmers, etc. When he sees someone who needs help he gives them a pack and cash if he has it on him.
"But the best and most truly invaluable thing he does for the homeless people he meets is he stops and has a real conversation with them. He listens and shares stories and treats them with respect and dignity...
"He always tells me that it's not the money people need, it's normalcy. A daily routine and normal social interaction. Brushing your teeth, combing your hair, saying hello to your neighbor, and spending your day doing normal things and feeling normal. Too many cannot find this normalcy and so they turn to drugs and alcohol to escape their reality. Because they think they'll never feel normal again."
— jproxduhPhoto: gremlin/Getty Images

11of12"Don't just throw money at them. When I was on the street, a guy came up to me and gave me a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush. I really needed them but the change people gave me went towards food because it was a necessity. It was amazing and he stopped by and had a chat with me. He understood what I needed and it made my day."
— iamprocrastinating_ Photo: Leslie-Ann Smith / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm

12of12"I was somewhat homeless, as in I was living in cheap hotels. It was not uncommon that I checked out of one hotel and couldn't check in to the next for several hours. Sometimes I drove from one city to another and pulled over to take a nap. Nothing scared the s--- out of me like someone banging on my window. The person would say they were just seeing if I was okay ... I was, but you might have just given me a f------ heart attack."
— shrinkingviolet219Photo: Gusztv Hegyi / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm

Oakland residents at risk of homelessness could qualify for emergency rent checks and legal representation under a new program announced Monday by Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and three Bay Area nonprofits.

At a City Hall news conference, Schaaf and executives from the East Bay Community Law Center, Catholic Charities of the East Bay and Bay Area Community Services presented a $9 million pilot plan called Keep Oakland Housed, which is designed to provide support services for low-income city residents.

The program is the first of its kind in the city, which has an estimated 2,761 homeless people and has grappled with a roughly 25 percent increase in homelessness from 2015 to 2017, according to a survey by EveryOne Home, a nonprofit that seeks to end homelessness.

Schaaf said the new resource will keep households stable and “bring the gift of security to people throughout Oakland.”

EveryOne Home’s survey found that 86 percent of the 2,761 respondents said they were living in Alameda County at the time they lost their homes, and 58 percent of those individuals said money issues were to blame for losing them.

Tirien Steinbach, executive director of the East Bay Comunity Law Center, said the new program will “help staunch the bleeding of Oakland tenants.”

Keep Oakland Housed will run through 2022. The mayor did not outline plans for homelessness prevention beyond the pilot program.

Unlike efforts to get people off the streets or provide more affordable housing in the city, the pilot will focus solely on people at risk of losing their current housing.

City dwellers who make 50 percent or less than the area’s median income can qualify for program assistance, officials said, and a family of four could make no more than $58,100 a year.

Tenants who need cash for housing could receive up to $7,000 in checks made out to landlords or third-party providers. Residents facing eviction lawsuits are also eligible for legal representation.

Critics of the mayor’s recent homelessness initiatives attended Monday’s press conference to take issue with recent “sweeps” to get homeless people out of encampments and into Tuff Sheds. Oakland resident Steven DeCaprio likened the sheds to incarceration, adding that people were being forced to live in them against their will.

Justin Berton, a spokesman for the mayor, noted that social service professionals, instead of police officers, have been used in the “outreach effort” to encourage people to move into the sheds. So far, he noted, 28 people accepted the offer.

Schaaf defended the sheds, saying the city was “confident” that advising people to move out of camps and into the tiny homes was “within the confines of the law.”

DeCaprio, who has resided in Oakland for two decades and spent seven of those years homeless, argued that the city accelerated the housing crisis by allowing developers to build more market-rate housing.

“Doing nothing would be better than what they’re doing now,” DeCaprio said.

Nonprofits partnering with the city on Keep Oakland Housed noted that they field thousands of calls a year from people in need and new financial tools are necessary for low-income residents in the city. Program funding comes from Kaiser Permanente and the San Francisco Foundation.

Oakland residents looking to access services or donate can call 211 or go to the program’s website, keepoaklandhoused.org. If the initiative is successful, it could be a model for a larger regional effort, officials said.

Gwendolyn Wu is a reporter who covers breaking news in San Francisco. Prior to joining the Chronicle staff, she wrote for the Santa Barbara Independent and San Francisco magazine. She is originally from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, and graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2018. Wu is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association. Her interests include testing new recipes and exploring used bookstores.